There are various types of benign neoplasms. Each of them has its own nature of origin and is formed from a certain type of tissue, and also has its own localization place. Any person will justifiably be concerned about tumors on the skin, not only in terms of functional inconvenience and aesthetically unattractive appearance, but also in terms of the possible malignancy of the tumor and its transformation into cancer.
Such neoplasms include keratomas. Not everyone knows what keratoma is and how to treat it. The largest number of people in whom they are found is accounted for by citizens whose age exceeds 50 years. Moreover, both sexes are susceptible to them. But there is a percentage of morbidity among young people. Thus, according to studies, it was found that in 20-year-olds, keratomas are present in 11% of cases.
Among people of 30 years of age, experts found 25% of owners of entities. In hot Australia, after about 40 years, keratomas appear in about 45% of people, and in rainy Britain, only 15% of cases occur at the same age. So, what different types of keratomas look like, photos and treatment of such tumors - all this is described below.
Based on various signs and the nature of the origin of tumors, specialists use various terms to determine the type of tumor. One of these terms refers to "keratoma." The term is used as a general concept of various types of benign formations on the skin. Keratoma is a brief description of an epithelial neoplasm, showing the location of the tumor.
This term is created in two parts. The first part is the Greek word keratos, which means cells of the keratinized epithelium. The second part of the word "keratoma" is the suffix "ohm", meaning the word "tumor". In general, this term cannot be called exact, because it does not reflect the specifics and characteristics of each type of benign tumor. Therefore, the concept of "keratoma" is equivalent to diseases "myoma", "lipoma", since they all have a common origin - they are formed from epithelial tissue, that is, from the same cells, therefore they have a common name - "keratoma". A photo of such an education is presented below.
How does the epithelium "work"?
The epithelium is a multilayer keratinized tissue, which is formed by the so-called keratinocytes. In its structure, it has several cell layers that lie on top of each other. The freshest cells are born on the basement membrane of the epithelium, in depth. The cells of the outer layer in contact with the external environment die off a little bit, transforming into scales, and exfoliate when we wash ourselves. After the detachment of old scales, they are replaced by new cells from the epithelium, which were previously in deep layers. After some period they also become keratinized, die off and exfoliate. Thus, skin cells are constantly updated.
How does keratoma occur?
During normal functioning of the human body, the rate of cell formation and peeling at the end of the existence cycle is balanced. In other words, the number of cells that is needed to replace old keratinized scales reappears. With violations in the body, this system malfunctions, and the balance of the nucleation and exfoliation of cells is disrupted, which ultimately leads to the appearance of various skin diseases.
In such cases, benign tumors arise, which doctors call the common word "keratoma". If cells from the epithelium are prone to excessive keratinization, then they do not have time to exfoliate in time, overlap occurs - and a tumor arises. It turns out that such a tumor consists of a huge number of keratinocytes - cells that form the normal layers of the epithelium. People of retirement age are predisposed to such a disease, since the system of their body can malfunction, therefore senile keratoma may occur. A photo of such a keratoma is presented above.
In people over 50, depending on the region of residence, the prevalence percentage is different, but certainly high - from 80 to 100%. Interestingly, senile keratoma can occur in fairly young people. At 30, it can occur due to thinning of epidermal tissue by 10%.
Can keratoma turn into cancer?
Since keratomas are formations consisting of normal cells, that is, those that have expansive growth, and not invasive (as with malignant tumors), they belong to benign forms of tumors. But it is worth bearing in mind that this type of benign tumor can be malignant, that is, become malignant.
According to statistics, it is believed that this can happen in 8-20% of cases. This will depend on the type of tumor, health status and various negative factors that contribute to the formation of "abnormal" cells. Since there is a likelihood of keratoma transforming into cancer, these neoplasms are referred to as a precancerous condition. But there is no need to be afraid of keratitis, as they rarely degenerate into cancerous tumors.
Keratoma of the skin, photo, symptoms and treatment
Such a neoplasm can be single or multiple. Most often, keratomas occur on the upper limbs and much less often on the lower. Possible places for localization of this formation: face, neck, arms, trunk, upper legs. This is explained by the fact that these parts of the body are most exposed to sunlight. In any case, this is one of the possible causes of the formation of such tumors, since until the end the causes of the disease are not known.
At the same time, scientists identify a number of predisposing factors for the development of this pathological process. This may be a hereditary predisposition or prolonged exposure to ultraviolet radiation without any means protecting the skin, age-related changes and / or a deficiency of vitamins and minerals in the body, as well as too much animal fat in the body. A rarer option is the result of a complication after dermatological diseases. In general, the occurrence of keratomas may indicate a predisposition of the body to oncological processes.
Keratitis classification
According to the classification, experts share the following types:
- seborrheic keratoma, the photo of which is presented below;
- senile keratoma;
- actinic (solar) keratoma, divided into papular, erythematic, papillomatous, horny, pigmented and proliferative;
- follicular keratoma.
Signs of skin keratoma
Based on the classification of existing types of tumors, the specific symptoms of the disease and the nature of their development will be different. In general terms, the symptoms of skin keratoma are as follows.
After the appearance of each keratoma has the appearance of a slightly protruding spot above the skin, painted in a grayish color. Its surface is usually flaky due to the appearance and flaking of a huge number of flakes. Gradually, the size of the spot increases, gaining volume, and more protrudes above the surface of the skin.
If the keratoma is large, it forms a dense crust of keratinized tissue, because of this it can be accidentally hooked, violating its integrity. If injury is allowed, then the keratoma hurts and bleeds, giving an unpleasant sensation. Usually these benign formations do not bring problems, apart from aesthetic, but there are exceptions.
Seborrheic keratoma
These neoplasms will always be multiple and different in size. Color have from black to dark brown. In the process of human development, itching begins to bother, in addition, keratoma begins to hurt. Around the growth, peeling begins to be observed. Such growths sometimes disappear, and this can lead to the development of infections.
Seborrheic keratoma refers to the form of a benign tumor that can degenerate into a malignant form of the disease.
Senile keratoma
Like seborrheic keratoma, senial is plural. Often they are grouped together. The growths are white to gray in color, and there are often plaques. Their locations are face and neck. The growths only occasionally itch and peel. Most often, this form of keratoma affects people over 30 years old.
Horny keratoma (cutaneous horn)
The name of the tumor immediately makes it clear what this tumor looks like. It really resembles a horn in shape. The color of the growth is dark and rises above the skin surface by more than 5 millimeters. Around the neoplasm, the skin turns red, it may itch and bake. Horny keratoma is also included in the form of the tumor, which can be malignant and develop into cancer.
Follicular keratoma
This keratoma is nodular and appears in a single amount. The color can be from pinkish to gray, and its diameter is not more than two centimeters. Locations are the area of the head and upper lip. This disease is more common in women and refers to the form of the tumor, which is extremely rarely degenerates into cancer.
Solar keratoma
Solar keratoma always manifests itself in multiple spots that tend to cluster. The places of their manifestation may be the upper part of the body, which is most exposed to ultraviolet radiation - chest, back, shoulders, arms and less often the upper part of the legs.
From above, these neoplasms can be covered with scales and sometimes itch. Men who have crossed the 40-year milestone are at risk for solar keratoma. Solar keratoma can degenerate cancer. The transition to a squamous type of skin cancer is likely if there was a trauma to the formation with further infection.
Keratoma - what is it and how to treat it?
Since outwardly similar neoplasms are similar, it is rather difficult to differentiate them, and, accordingly, it is not easy to determine their possible transformation into skin cancer. Therefore, it is worth watching them and once every six months, turning to specialists, conduct an examination. Do not postpone a trip to a dermatologist for a long time. If the keratoma does not manifest itself in any way, then there is no particular reason for concern, especially if you are examined by a dermatologist a couple of times a year, but if, on the contrary, rapid growth, a burning sensation and itching began to occur, if the formation began to bleed or around a growth or spot if numbness is visible, you should immediately consult a doctor.
The main treatment is removal of skin keratoma. A photo of the treatment is presented in the article. Next, a histological examination of the removed tissue, or a biopsy of the neoplasm site (knife or scarification biopsy) is performed.
If it is established that the tumor is a benign form - keratoma, then it can be removed with liquid nitrogen or electro-diathermy (electrocoagulation). But these methods completely destroy keratoma tissue, and in the future it is not possible to conduct any research. Therefore, before applying these removal methods, you need to be absolutely sure of its good quality.
In modern medicine, a gentle laser is used to destroy keratomas, which does not leave any scars and does not affect the surrounding tissue. This is considered the best way, but it, like the nitrogen method and electro-diathermic method, requires full confidence in the quality of education, as it destroys the tissue.
But the traditional surgical method, scalping, is rarely used today, since a scar may remain after it. When a reddish spot remains under the detached crust after removal of the main growth, then for some time it is necessary to apply an ointment to improve the regeneration and epithelization of the site.
The next method of getting rid of an unaesthetic disease is the use of the Surgitron apparatus. This is the destruction of the growth by the radio wave method. As a rule, the procedure does not require any anesthesia, and after using the device, a scar rarely remains. Another advantage of the radio wave method is the possibility of further histological analysis.
Some are wondering about whether it is possible to get rid of keratoma at home, using alternative methods. The answer to this question is that it is not possible to completely remove education at home. At home, you can only comprehensively supplement the basic treatment with folk tricks. In this case, it is worth trying compresses with aloe juice or a decoction of onion peels for the night, or use castor oil. It must be rubbed at the site of keratitis. You can also wipe this place with a swab, after moistening it in preheated vegetable oil. Potato lotions will be good.
It is necessary to properly treat wounds with an antiseptic. When using compresses, an antibacterial ointment should be used and for the period of skin recovery, include foods rich in vitamin C in the diet, or use vitamins with its content.